Take the Plunge
by Maelstrom Sparrow
Summary: The Cerobi Steppe provides a marvelous opportunity for cliff diving - and a chance for two proud people to come back down to earth. Balthier, Ashe, featuring Basch, Fran, and the Feddik River.


**Take the Plunge** – Ashe doesn't quite get what she expects when she is sent to find the missing Balthier. Balthier & Ashe, featuring Basch, Penelo, Fran and the Feddik River.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the day on the Cerobi Steppe and Ashe was exhausted, but happy. Though the seemingly endless fields had left her tired and, thanks to the almost constant downpour on some of the slopes, absolutely drenched, she was in high spirits and had set the rest of the group about their duties with a smile. Luckily, the it was a perfect way to end the day – the storm had finally cleared and a glimmer of sunset had set over their encampment beneath the clouds.

She was sitting out front of one of the tents, trying to work up the focus to light the pile of wood in front of her with a fire spell. There was a dull contentment about the group that stifled her energy – they'd made immense progress, and they were worn out but proud of the journey that had taken the better part of the day. If every day were like this, Ashe wouldn't have minded – no politics interfering, just the gradual climbing of the slopes knowing it was nothing but you and the lands beneath and around you.

Nothing but the six of you. She reflected on the familiar camp setting almost nostalgically: Basch was across from her as always, performing that slow, methodical polishing of his blade, and Penelo was sitting beside him, moving her eyes constantly back and forth, matching Basch's repetitive movements with not much else to do. Believing in her innocent heart that Basch was often silent because he was lonely, the teen took it upon herself to spend time with him, and this blade-polishing with Penny at his side was almost a ritual. Although it didn't appear as a hardship to her, Ashe noted with a silent laugh, as Penelo's eyes flicked back and forth from the blade to Basch's face uncontrollably, barely containing a blush.

Penelo would otherwise be fooling around with Vaan_,_ but today her counterpart had taken to scouting ahead, just to see how far Balfonheim was. Fran was lurking under a tree, observant and silent, scarlet eyes reflecting the orange sunset.

And _then_ Ashe realized what made the night so perfect – _Balthier was conveniently missing!_

She remembered his breezy farewell, too, leaving the second camp had been put together and dashing across the Steppe.

The man had an even larger amount of energy at his disposal that Vaan and Penelo put together, and an ego to match it. Although he was…endearingly clever, and almost painfully handsome, she was forever irritated with his high spirits at the end of the day, still brimming with sarcastic comments. This would often be his downfall, as the other members of the party would all be tired and easily irritated, and his relentless taunting of Vaan and Basch, teasing of Penelo and odd mixture of flirtatious leading-on and smug chastising of Ashe had often led to destructive shouting matches. Basch especially – the two seemed to have a rather competitive Alpha-male complex going.

But she would _not_ think about the time in the Paramina Rift when they had started tripping each other into snowbanks…and glaciers…or the time on the Phon Coast when they'd both come equally close to drowning…or the Salikawood, where the pirate had managed to sabotage Basch's food with a _live _Pumpkin Head instead of the actual vegetable…no, she wouldn't think of that tonight. Ashe sat back and began to enjoy his absence.

And then, as usual, Ashe started to worry.

"Fran?" she called absentmindedly, "do you know what's happened to Balthier?"

The Viera's crimson gaze met hers with slight fear. "I suppose he's just off…I wouldn't trouble yourself, Princess."

Ashe smirked at the realization that Fran, too, was grateful for his absence. But something couldn't stop niggling at her – Balthier had been acting oddly distracted all day, and she couldn't help but wonder.

But she would _not_ think about his golden Archadian eyes wandering past the clouds…dreaming about something vulgar, probably…or about his bright laugh and quip about "being the leading man" when she scolded him for almost getting torn in half by a wolf…or about the dread that had caused her to snap at him so, thanking his luck in not getting hurt…or the fact that that same dread was gripping her now…_no, she would not-_

Muttering something incoherent about going to find drier wood, she picked up her greatsword and walked off past the tents. Just to check up on him, just in case.

The all-day rain had left her perfect tracking conditions – a thin layer of stirred mud-and-grass made for very defined footprints, and she headed off in the direction Balthier had left with an absent-minded glance down at them every so often. She laughed as she caught a particularly deep-set line through a mud-puddle, thinking gleefully that his shoes would be ruined. She skipped over it lightly herself, crossing the Crossfield through to a junction of the Feddik River.

It was there that she spotted him – mere outline from where she stood, but Balthier all the same, doing nothing but standing on the edge of a bride overlooking the river with his arms folded. Contemplating life or something. Ashe laughed again, quietly this time, as she'd decided not to alert him to her presence _just_ yet.

Thankfully, he was facing away from her, so she managed to rush down the hill and skirt past a small thicket of trees, crouching behind a rock a mere twenty, maybe fifteen feet away from him, all without his noticing. Ashe watched him walk slowly off the bridge and stand right at the edge of the cliff, laying his gun down beside him. She was pondering the best way to shock him and shatter his flawless composure when _he_ managed to shatter _hers._

The sky pirate unclipped both of the loose-hanging belts at his waist and let them fall beside his weapon, unfastened the clasps on his metal vest and pulled it off, then stood for a moment to get used to the slight chill before sliding his white shirt off and discarding it in a heap on the ground. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and stretched his arms out to the sides.

Ashe felt her face get slightly hot as she recoiled back around the rock. The image of Balthier facing directly into the sunset, skin lit to gold and lithe muscles taut with the stretch was…well she turned back to look at it almost _instantly,_ in any case, with a guilty tug in the back of her mind. He dropped his arms and shook them a little. Ashe caught more details this time – the wind just touching his hair, the light reflecting off the little stars that were his earrings. Her eyes jealously traveled over his skin – _when did he find the time to perfect a tan like that? Hasn't he been journeying under full-sleeved shirts for months now?_

He dragged one hand through his hair absent-mindedly, and then all of a sudden his entire body became tense. Ashe dug her fingernails into the rock.

And then Balthier disappeared over the cliff.

Ashe cried out uncontrollably and then raced forwards, just as a deafening _splash_ reached her ears and a fountain of water shot up from the crevice below. She knelt at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the flat, dark water with wide, horrified eyes. There was no movement, no surfacing, no sky pirate. "Balthier!" she cried out into the tiny canyon to the river below. Her heart raced – her fingers dug into the grass beneath. Should she dive in after? She stood hesitantly and stared down at the placid blue river. _Where is he??_

Just as she was about to call the name again, an incredulous voice came from behind her. "Princess?"

She gasped and spun around terrifically, heels dancing on the edge of the cliff. Ashe flailed her arms to keep her balance but she was slipping, falling-

And then a hand caught her about the wrist, tugged her forwards and she found herself unbalanced the _other_ way and landing on a soaking wet and still completely shirtless sky pirate. The two of them fell back into the muddy grass with a surprised and simultaneous _oof,_ Ashe conveniently landing splayed across his chest. She pushed herself out of his grasp with an indignant squeak and stood, as he just sat up slightly and laughed.

"Careful, there's a cliff there."

Ashe made a threatening noise and he paid attention. Wasn't good to aggravate the Princess for _too_ long.

"Balthier!" she complained, and cursed at how much she sounded like a _teenager._ "What…how did you…why the…?" She gestured out at the cliff a couple times and then let her arms fall, confused.

"Could you perhaps tell me in something _resembling_ English why you've upset yourself enough to almost take a tumble off the cliff?" he asked her with a genuine but very _carefully_ guarded smile playing at his lips.

"Up_set_? Oh, I just thought you were _dead,_ nothing serious," she snapped, stealing his sarcastic tone for the moment.

"What, from _that? _That was nothing!" he said. "I was working my way up to those over there, actually." He pointed west, in the general direction of where the Feddik River took a delightful plunge as a waterfall down into a lake below – easily five times the height of the dive he'd just taken. Ashe paled.

"_Balthier!_" she half-whined, half-scolded, "you're not _immortal_ you know!"

He leaned back on his wrists, surprised at how uneducated the Princess was. "Well, I have been at this since fifteen, and I'm not dead yet." He continued with a sarcastic laugh, even more smugly, noticing how she _was_ actually surprised he hadn't died. "Further proof that I am, possibly, immortal."

She tried to form a sentence, whipping her head around to glare at him, but she suddenly noticed that the sun was glistening off the sheen of water on his chest and Ashe fell silent with a blush. She knew it wouldn't escape Balthier-the-womanizer's notice, and turned to look back at the innocent river below.

"Well, since we've established that I'm not suicidal, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked nonchalantly. She struggled to formulate an answer.

_I came looking for you?_ That would give him far too much of an ego boost, though it was the truth. But she couldn't use a lame excuse like she used for the rest of the party because he'd see through it instantly. Ashe fumed silently at her brain for failing to work _just because_ there was a shirtless man behind her, whose voice was suddenly far too close to her ear. He must have stood up. She stared down at the river, willing it to evaporate under her glare.

"I see," he said, still laughing at her. "Well, while you're here for…whatever it is that you're here for, why don't you try?"

"Try what?"

"The cliffs, of course. Mighty good stress relief."

She whipped around to face him, eyebrows raised to their fullest height. "Are you crazy?" She cursed herself when she realized it was the exact reaction he wanted. A devilish smile met her glare and the sun burned out of his golden eyes.

"Not at all." Only Ashe thought that was exactly how he looked at the minute. "Are _you_ afraid?"

The Princess openly glared at him, especially since he was right. Normally she wouldn't have quivered at the thought of jumping but around five minutes ago she had believed that Balthier had drowned doing exactly that. Now here he was, challenging her to do the same thing and she was almost downright shaking. Ashe grit her teeth.

"Not in the slightest."

He was prepared for that answer and leaned close to her ear. "Prove it, then."

But the Princess had out-prepared him. She would not let Balthier get the better of her. With a last steeling of her nerves, a glance at Balthier a triumphant smirk she leapt off the cliff.

She heard Balthier laugh hysterically from behind her, and then all sound and color was lost to the wind whipping past her ear, a frenzied whoosh. There was a brief moment of gut-wrenching suspension at the height of the jump and then she screamed with the joy as she started to plummet down towards the water, adrenaline thundering through her veins, the swirling black-blueness coming up to meet her-

And then she broke through the surface and sank heavily to the bottom in a spiraling tornado of bubbles – it was deeper than she'd expected, and a dark, muffling blue, but not cold – only pleasantly chilled, untouched by the sun outside. She let the soothing, unmoving water envelop her for a few seconds and then began to paddle lazily towards the surface.

That's when she realized something was wrong. The paddling was getting her nowhere. She tried another stroke, but found her arm too heavy, cutting through the water uselessly. A burst of terrified bubbles came from her mouth and she sucked in water by mistake. The cursed armor was weighing her down! She could feel her legs turn to lead in their tight, protective casings, her shoulders pushing her further and further down because of that _stupid_ neck ornament. Ashe screamed against the water silently, flailing through it, completely useless. Her eyes opened wide and stung. She could feel her lungs tightening, begging her for air, and her heart ripped and tore at her inside her chest, her skull pounded like it was going to explode, and then a sudden pair of hands wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her up so she was standing on a flat rock, just enough to pull her head and shoulders out of the water.

She coughed, spent two seconds to suck in precious air, and looked sheepishly up at her rescuer. Balthier glared down at her as the water ebbed lazily past them, and she wasn't sure which of the two chilled her more at the minute. Nothing was _ever_ safe when Balthier fell silent. Luckily he didn't have the will to make it last very long and a smile broke across his face.

"And you call _me_ insane?" he laughed. "That was not incredibly smart, jumping into the water with all that heavyweight equipment."

She wrinkled her nose. "I suppose not."

The sky pirate sighed. "Here, you extremist, let me take some of that armor for you – I don't think you'll make it to shore otherwise." He held a breath and disappeared underwater. Ashe tensed as his hands grasped her leg and fumbled with the clasps. She _was_ perfectly able of getting them off herself…

Balthier's fingers caught on a lucky clasp which unfastened the whole leg piece in one, leaving just her red boots – and stored the information carefully in case he ever got to undress her under less stressful circumstances. As soon as her legs were freed, Ashe paddled over to the opposite shore and sat down on the pebbled beach, scrubbing the excess water off with her hands. Balthier was moments behind her, emerging from the river like some aquatic creature.

"What on _earth_ possessed you to think of doing something like that in the first place?" Ashe asked breathlessly, tugging off her neck ornament and gingerly rubbing the places it had dug into her skin.

"Hm…well, civil disobedience would be the most accurate term, I suppose."

Ashe rolled her eyes at him. "But seriously?"

The pirate leaned back on his wrists again and looked up at the sky, now blooming with the red-orange of late sunset. "I was being honest. Cid took me out here when I was fourteen and kept yelling at me to keep away from the cliffs. We were heading to Balfonheim, I think."

He got caught up in reminiscence, and Ashe watched him closely. "After he got back from Giruvegan – that would be the year after – I was constantly doing all these disruptive things to try and divert his attention, I guess…but no matter. What I meant was that next time I was crossing the Steppe I jumped off the first cliff I could find. Just to upset him, but of course he didn't notice. Added it to my list of obnoxious teenage behavior. Closest I ever came to flying before liberating the _Strahl._" He joked, and stood up, offering her his hand.

Ashe blinked, took the hand and felt slightly awkward as he pulled her up. She had _definitely_ not suspected an actual story behind Balthier's reckless habits. And yet perhaps there was a method to his madness. Ah, so she had been feeling the jump for the wrong reason. It was about liberation, not competition or showing off. He noticed her contemplative face but she brightened out of it instantly afterwards.

"So we can do it again, then?" she asked insistently.

Balthier was now the one blinking in surprise. "After your little near-death experience?"

"Of course!" she said, waving it off carelessly. She turned and advanced on him with a purring quality in her voice. "_You_ wouldn't let me drown…"

"Um-" he began with a stutter, but the Princess just laughed and ran down the little pebbled beach, slipping on the rocks and clambering up the narrow paths on the cliff. She had reached the top before Balthier unfroze finally with a laugh and chased her up the hill. Ashe had lost her boots, gauntlets, shoulder armor and neckpiece before he arrived and she stood superimposed against the sunset, mocking his stretch from earlier. He stopped still at the top of the path and wondered where the guarded, serious queen Ashe had gone. At the same time he noticed what a _puzzle _she was. And now it was the pirate caught staring as the Princess let wind tousle her blond hair loosely and rose up on the very tip of her toes to take the plunge.

XxXxXxX

"What's taking so long?" Basch muttered for the thousandth time. He had abandoned his blade ten minutes earlier and had since taken to pacing around the fire. Penelo's eyes followed his motions as usual but he paid no heed.

Fran, still against her tree, shrugged. "Vaan has been gone longer than both."

The knight was dissatisfied, and brushed off the question. "I have no worries about Vaan."

The Viera glared. "Well that's cruel."

Basch just grunted in response and continued pacing around the fire. The sun was just creeping past the halfway mark – the opposite end of the horizon was already dark with stars. Fran continued.

"I wouldn't worry so. Balthier is capable – he will see that no harm comes to your Princess."

At last, he gave up his pacing and sat down angrily. "That's _exactly_ what I'm worried about."

XxXxXxX

Balthier reached the top of the path and turned to watch Ashe climb back up to the ridge with wide, horrified eyes. The woman sported a self-satisfied smile as she approached. "I can_not believe_ you just did that, Princess."

She shrugged. "I'm a fast learner."

The pair of them had conquered the cliffs surrounding the stream with ease, even where the distance multiplied from rock to river. Balthier, arrogantly defining her as a "beginner," had made her to stay on land while he took the jump from the cliffs he'd been "working his way up to" earlier. As soon as the pirate had come up from his dive, a splash rocked him backwards as Ashe hit the water beside him. She had surfaced laughing at his baffled expression.

The two of them sat down on the edge of the cliff, dangling their legs over the canyon. The Princess couldn't remember in the slightest why she'd thought the man beside her was annoying…and it was even harder to remember the last time she'd done something so uselessly daring. Ashe was still glowing with the water, and there was still a mad spark in her eye. Balthier laughed at it.

"Heaven forbid if the rest of Dalmasca should see their Queen like this! What would Basch think at her Majesty taking a dive off these?"

Ashe's eyes widened. "Oh…_Basch…_" she whipped around and noticed with a sinking stomach that night had fallen and she could hardly see Balthier ahead of her. "He's going to kill you!"

The sky pirate shrugged it off, stood and started gathering up his shirts, finding her stress irresistibly cute. "I'll push him off a cliff. Gods know he needs to loosen up."

"I'll push _you _off a cliff if you don't hurry up!"

"Too bad I'd enjoy it."

"Balthier!" she sighed, exasperated. "Just _hurry up_ and get your stuff together, alright?"

He dropped the piece of clothing he was holding, apparently lost in thought. He paced back and forth for a minute. Ashe didn't take her eyes off him, perhaps trying to read his thoughts. Then Balthier said, perfectly stubbornly, "Not yet."

She glared daggers at him and turned back to the clothes on the ground, trying to ignore him. But when she tried to slide her gauntlets back on, Balthier's hands suddenly prevented her. She looked back at him and found him _unreasonably_ close, his dark eyes flitting half-closed across her face. Ashe felt her breath catch and vanish. Though his expression was intense, his voice was light and carefree.

"Still another cliff I want to conquer first…"

The grip on her wrists loosened and it was replaced by two warm hands on her back and soft lips pressed against her. She felt her eyes jump open in surprise and her heart skip. He held her tightly and smirked – no, _smiled_ – up against her lips before breaking the all-too-brief kiss. She shivered.

"Cold, Princess?" he whispered against her lips, so close she could still taste him.

"N-no?" she replied, and he laughed and threw something soft and dry at her – his discarded shirt.

"Just put that on until we get back." She nodded gratefully, still in a daze as the pirate led her across the grass to where their camp lay nestled in the undergrowth.

Balthier had no idea what had made him do it – the life of a sky pirate was based on the risky but _kissing a future Queen_ certainly was a far cry from just risk. _Especially_ in the case of Ashe, Queen with a greatsword. So it couldn't have been out of habit. Ashe was too complex for habit.

She stumbled slightly in the dark, and he caught her hand, keeping her steady. Pure blue eyes skipped up to meet his in thanks. The warmth of her hand left his and the Queen of Dalmasca passed him by, draping his shirt like a cloak about her shoulders and walking as if the rocks would obey her command and trip her no more. And unable to do anything but watch, the sky pirate perhaps picked up on a little piece of _why._

XxXxXxX

Basch was up far later than usual, staring furiously into the embers of the fire. Fran had given up long ago and retreated into a tent. Vaan prodded at the fire with a stick, having arrived a few minutes before and entirely unwilling to go to bed before Penelo. Penelo rested between the two men, unwilling to go unless Basch gave up too. He supposed his paranoia was keeping everyone awake to some extent, but he remained completely frozen.

He was also the first to notice – two shuffling pairs of footsteps, a snapping twig. The knight held a hand out to stop Vaan from talking and strained to listen – yes, whispering voices. Ashe definitely, and – speaking softer, but probably the pirate.

"-I doubt they're still awake-"

"No, look, the fire's still alight."

"Stop worrying, Princess, they're all asleep and so should you be…"

Basch stiffened.

"Don't patronize me, pirate!" the sovereign warned him with a smile in her voice.

"Never…" he purred back and there was a moment of suspended silence before the footsteps started up again. Penelo could actually _hear_ Basch gritting his teeth.

"BALTHIER! Wait-wait-wait _put your shirt back on!!"_ Ashe hissed. Penelo looked to Vaan with her mouth open in surprise – the street rat was laughing silently. A tiny growl emerged from Basch's throat.

And then Balthier – who obviously hadn't complied with the Princess's request – walked briskly into the firelight. Ashe chased him down, grasped his wrist – and then whipped around to stare like a deer caught in the headlights at the fireside crew. The two children were looking like they were about to explode with laughter and Captain Basch, whose face was turning all _sorts_ of interesting colors, bored his eyes into the guilty sky pirate.

Forever keeping cool, Balthier slung his damp shirt over his shoulder. "Evening, Captain," he quipped. Ashe let go of him like he was on fire, and in a very Princess-like manner, set her jaw and crossed past everyone else, not breaking her proud stature and calm composure until she was safely in the tent. She had nothing but regality in her movements to the point of looking like a total arrogant- the sky pirate bit down hard on his lip but could not prevent the inherent laughter.

"She's…quite something sometimes, wouldn't you say?" the man said sort of dreamily, staring at the tent and looking really quite mystified. Penelo's jaw dropped and Basch visibly bristled. The sky pirate ignored them, and walked in the opposite direction.

A viera-shaped shadow loomed out at him before he made it to the tent. Out of earshot of the fireside gang – both the children now in hysterics – she whispered, "couldn't help yourself, could you?"

He feigned innocence with a smile. "What? You know how much I love cliff diving. Her lady Ashelia seems to have a passion as well."

"A passion for what, exactly?"

Balthier just chuckled. An idea seemed to strike him and with a smirk he chirped, "You really think, Fran? That's a nice thought, isn't it?" and retreated into his tent.

* * *

**So is that ending not as horribly tacky as I think it is? Hopefully? XD I'm also letting the reader decide what Balthier's reason was, leaving it at a "little piece of why."**

**I've been experimenting with little drabbley-things before actually getting started on a real big story, to see if people like my writing first, get some feedback on what I should change. I also love a little BalAshe now and then :) keeps me sane. Or insane. Whichever.**

**If you liked this story, I recommend checking out:**

** sapereaude13's work. She's got about a bajillion BalAshe oneshots that rock my world and you should read if you haven't already! I particularly recommend Buena Suerte (which also has some glorious Baschness) or Through the Sands to You.**

**CultivateYourHunger also has a great fic called "Balthier's List" which is along the same vein – a short-read, lighthearted BalAshe fic.**

**I've decided that I'm going to put up little recommendations on all my following fics. To spread the love around, you know :3 I'll pick ones that kind of suit the same mood as the fic – BalAshe, dark or lighthearted, humorous, that sort of thing. **

**Crap, I haven't been on here very long…I hope that's not illegal! 0.o That's all for now, hope you liked.**


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